South Sudan unveils plans for future cities

Juba, August 18, 2010 (SSNA) -- The semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) on Wednesday unveiled a $10.1 billion ambitious plan for future Southern Sudan cities; the new plan which has already been drawn up bears animal-shaped cities.

In the plan, Juba, the current capital city of Southern Sudan will be relocated to an undisclosed location and will be designed in the shape of a rhinoceros. The new city will be called "Rhino City".

The plan comes in less than five months before ahead of a scheduled January referendum on independence.

"It's very innovative. That's our thinking. It's unique. It's the Ministry of Housing thinking you have to be unique to attract the people," Daniel Wani, undersecretary of Southern Sudan's Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning was quoted by AP as saying.

It is rumoured that all Southern Sudan State capitals will differ in shapes.

The speculation is that Yambio, the capital city of Western Equatoria State will be shaped like a pineapple and Wau, the capital city of Western Bahr el-Ghazal State, will be shaped like giraffe.

It is not yet known where the vastly under-developed region will get the funding from. But Southern leaders are reported to be in talk with some global investors for the possibility of securing the funding.

One regional Observer who asked not to be named said that this new development is a reconfirmation of that Southern Sudan will split from the North one way or another.

"This new development from Juba proves that Khartoum doesn’t have full control over Southern Sudan. This is a smack on the faces of those who are against South Sudan secession, Omar al-Bashir must get use to it, there is no way around it”, he explained.

Detailed architectural drawings of Rhino City show that Central Equatoria's police headquarters would be situated at the rhino's mouth, an amusement park at the ear, an industrial area along the back and residential housing throughout the four legs, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which was signed in 2005 ended the bloody civil war between North and the South. The CPA allows the people of South Sudan to decide in next January whether or not they want to remain part of the united Sudan or form their own independent State.